Liberia: CITIZENS’ JURY of the Citizens Court

The trial Jury after listening to the testimonies of witnesses and evidence or exhibit adduced during the proceedings, deliberated and is please to raise the following questions herein for the determination of the case at bar: 

World Toilet Day November 19, 2013

JURY VERDICT

The trial Jury after listening to the testimonies of witnesses and evidence or exhibit adduced during the proceedings, deliberated and is please to raise the following questions herein for the determination of the case at bar:

1. Whether or not the Government of Liberia has taken substantial steps to honor her obligation and commitments and improve the lives of the ordinary people who are victims of WASH poverty?
2. Whether or not the WASH victims’ community residents take responsibility for facilities placed in their communities by service providers and make proper use thereof?
   

   Head of the Jury, Foreman John Jukon ruling, Upholding the citizens’ Jury verdict on World Toilet Day With Representatives of CSOs and the Media on the platform

   

   A participant speaking during the Citizens’ Dialogue on Tuesday, World Toilet Day

   

   Presiding Judge at the Citizens’ Jury, Former Information Minister, Dr. Laurance Bropleh

Verdict

The Jury decided that as to the first question of Government commitment is NO.

The testimonies of the witnesses clearly show that the government has not taken substantial action either by policy implementation or service delivery to remedy the plight of the WASH Poverty Victims. Testimony of open defecation was made by nearly all the 15 witnesses. The schools operating in Liberia lacked proper WASH facilities as evidence by report of the expect and testimonies of students from the schools.

The citizens’ responsibility for maintaining facilities and keeping community clean is also answer in a negative. Communities suffering from serious WASH problems dwellers are in part contributing to these problems and or conditions. The witnesses testimonies show strong evidence of community dwellers habit of dumping garbage’s and waste in forbidden areas thereby endangering the health of themselves and the surrounding population, facilities constructed are not maintained and abused within a short time by some elements of community dwellers and evidence in the testimonies show that the spirit of volunteerism in these communities have evaporated.

It is the holding of the Jury that the Government of Liberia is hereby liable 80% for poor state of WASH in Liberia for failing to do the following:

–          Appoint National Water Resources and Sanitation Board

–          Establish Water Supply and Sanitation Commission (WSSC)

–           Mainstream WASH in the Education System

–          Ensure Equitable Access

–          Establish Monitoring Mechanisms and enforce same

–          Improve Sector Financing Mechanisms and disaggregate the structure of national budgets

Citizens are liable 20% for the following:

–          Throwing dirt or garbage  and waste in their surroundings

–          Non co-operation among community members

–          Failure to maintain WASH facilities in communities and abusing same

Names of the Jury

1. John Y. Jukon ========= Foreman
2. D. Sonpon Weah
3. Isaac S. Kamara II
4. Sampson Boymah
5. Rev. Fallah Boymah
6. Patience Zayzay
7. Nyan Zikeh

View of the audience at the Monrovia City Hall, during the observance of World Toilet Day

LIBERIA CSOs POSITION IN Commemoration OF World Toilet Day 2013

Held at the Monrovia City Hall

Monrovia, Liberia 

STATEMENT  

• WHEREAS, in 2011 the President of Liberia signed the Liberia WASH Compact
• WHEREAS, the President of Liberia commit the government to implement the deliverables in the Liberia WASH Compact.
•  WHEREAS, in 2012 Liberia Submitted STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT at the Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting in Washington DC.
•  WHEREAS, Liberia WASH CSOs have engage the government at all levels to improve governance in WASH sector, give WASH priority in the National Budget and enforce policy and standards.

Now therefore, we the undersigned, comprising sixty (60) Civil society Organizations make the following resolutions;

1. The Government of Liberia must honour her international and national commitments to WASH through policy, standards and improvement of services especially to vulnerable population (women, children, disabilities, hard to reach areas) to fulfil the right to water and sanitation as declared by the UN General Assembly in 2010 and promote Water and sanitation for All (SWA) partnership signed unto by the government of Liberia; 
2. Identify clear budget lines and increase funding in the national budget to meet the eThekwini Declaration, UN Least Developed Countries Program of Action for the decade 2011-2020 WASH Aspect and AfricaSan Action Plan; 
3. Promote private sector participation and investment in the WASH sector through corporate social responsibility and direct investment by providing incentives and security of investment to Liberian and foreign businesses involved in the water and sanitation sector; 

•  Appoint National Water Resources and Sanitation Board
• Establish Water Supply and Sanitation Commission (WSSC)
• Mainstream WASH in Education System
• Ensure  Equitable Access
• Establish Monitoring Mechanisms
• Improve sector Financing Mechanisms by disaggregating the structure of national budgets
• Sign Executive Order to  establish the water and sanitation commission
• Ensure that county and social development include WASH programs

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